How did a grown man approach what had been the unthinkable? How did I reconcile her past as a killer? Confusion beat me up. Being attracted to her labeled me a fool or a victim of some cosmic joke.

“Let’s take one day at a time,” I said. “The person making the threats has grown bold, as though he or she thinks they’re invincible. We need them to believe you’re out of the picture, so they’re free to search the cabin. Then it will be over.”

34

SHELBY

Denton assured me the men we were about to encounter had experience and wisdom. But I wasn’t convinced. He drove me down a dirt road where we met two older men in a navy-blue sedan. He knew both agents, which gave me a huge dose of comfort. After the two men introduced themselves, Denton and I said our goodbyes, and I slid into the back seat of the sedan.

I expected a black SUV like in the movies and agents who had their real teeth. The car wove in and around country roads until the driver, Isaac Sims, stopped at a rusty mobile home nestled in thick pine and oak trees several feet from the road.

“Home sweet home.” His raspy voice indicated a man in his early seventies. He had a round face and black hair, which had to be dyed.

“Is it a World War II tank?” I said.

Both men laughed, and the other agent, Aaron Marod, a man of basketball-player height and bushy silver eyebrows, pointed to the mobile home. “The last time I was here, I had to clean up varmints from the kitchen before I could put the food away. Denton told me he’d keep this place clean, but he lied to us.”

“How long ago?” Suspicions about these two crowded my mind.

Aaron rubbed his chin. “Whatcha say, Ike? Ten years ago? Right after the big scare of the Y2K?”

“Sounds about right.”

“That is more than twenty years.” I glanced from one man to the other. “Are you two active agents?”

“Retired.” Isaac opened the car door. “We’re doing this protective detail as a favor to Denton.”

“Is he paying you?” How fast could I get Denton on the phone?

“Yes, missy. Private job. Why else would we agree to live out here in this run-down trailer?” He turned to Aaron. “Hold off on bringing in the ice chest until I take a look inside. No point hauling it in until we get the place cleaned up.”

Retired agents and a mobile home that looked like it needed to be hauled away? And Denton agreed to pay them? Shock washed over me. “Private job.” What had this protection detail cost him?

My thoughts trailed back to what he’d done for me since my release. True, he was motivated by finding a link to the five hundred thousand dollars. Later, he changed his tune. Other factors pointed to his being a good man, one who’d gone above and beyond to prove I’d paid my debt to society. He’d been convinced of my innocence. Despite my stained past, he sacrificed his time and money.